Perfectly Broken
by Lux Remanet
Summary: Even perfect Hinata has demons of her own. Sasuhina Exorcist AU. Oneshot


_Somewhere, I will find  
>All the pieces torn apart, you just left behind<br>In your mystery  
><em>**Mystery of You - Red**

* * *

><p><em>It was almost dawn when the jōnin finally returned with their escaped quarry. <em>

_The Ichibi was howling with laughter within its human host as it was dragged it through the compound in chains. Hiashi's brother had been among the casualties and it made sure everyone heard about how it 'saved the cowering Hizashi for last'. In a chilling final act of defiance, it forced the six men dragging it to a halt long enough to spit in Hiashi's face. _

_"You're _next_," it hissed, before turning to Hinata and flashing her an ugly smile. _

_The Ichibi had been one of Hinata's earliest experiences with the bijū, and her first exorcism. Though Hiashi had been the only one inside the cell with her, all who saw Lady Hyūga the next morning knew the screams that had kept them awake that night had not belonged to the Ichibi. Hiashi on the otherhand, had been pleased by the outcome. In fact, it was the only time anyone had ever seen him smile. He was now confident that Hinata would be able to take her responsibilities as heir-apparent more seriously. _

_She had only been six years old at the time._

* * *

><p>"His name was Gaara," Hinata mused softly to herself.<p>

From his place in the grass where he had been meditating in the lotus position: feet resting on his thighs and hands resting atop of them, Sasuke opened his eyes. His partner was crouching near the magnolias with her knees pressed against her chest, her expression serene. She noticed him staring and raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"Uchiha, why are you meditating with the Sharingan still—"

"Whose name was Gaara?"

She turned back to the magnolias, letting the wind brush their petals against her fingers.

Sasuke smirked. "What, was he your boyfriend or something?"

Still no answer.

"Cat got your tongue, huh," he muttered, feeling irritation rise inside him. Tsunade had paired him with Hyuuga to teach him compassion, but for the past few months all he had really learnt was new levels for frustration. It had nothing to do with her weaknesses in strength and stamina-she compensated for them immensely through agility and heightened awareness through the Byakugan. It had nothing to do with the fact that she didn't like him or his principles-her sense of professionalism and work ethic and commitment to their mission always took precedent over that. She was a more than capable partner and exorcist; perhaps not as strong as he was, but someone he could still respect as an equal.

It was the fact that _she_ had _asked _to be his partner, despite knowing of his violent history with them. In this world where they could be killed within the next hour or microsecond, where uncertainty equaled risk, where knowledge was the difference between life and death, Sasuke was quickly beginning to learn a very important difference between her and the ones that had come before:

He knew nothing about her. And though he usually wouldn't have cared, because he preferred to work that way: trusting people as far as he could throw them, he had enough sense to understand why exceptions were made. Exorcists always worked in pairs or threes-Hinata worked alone. It wasn't that she was experienced enough to not warrant any sort of supervision or assistance-she was actually one of the most inactive exorcists he knew, only taking jobs when Tsunade couldn't find anyone else. In truth she actually preferred to spend her time with her nose buried inside a book, locked away in the archives till day and night had become almost indistinguishable to her. Why she was an exorcist was anyone's guess, and it was this next fact that had brought about this unwanted curiosity.

Why would anyone who _plainly _did not like exorcising demons choose to make it their profession? One could have pointed out that it was expected of a Hyuuga except Hinata had and showed very little familial obligation to them, having exiled herself from them and given up her position as Clan Head since her eighteenth birthday. So why lead a life like this. When had being his partner become so beneficial to her? Why would she actually try to _help_ him achieve Mangekyō when Itachi and the Uchiha heads (understandably) refused to? What did she have to gain from it, if anything, Sasuke wondered for she never seemed to ask. It couldn't have been out of the goodness of her heart, as pure and perfect as she seemed.

There were three types of exorcists, he had observed over the years. The first were those who had lost a treasured family member or friend and had become one out of the sheer desire to vent out their frustrations and anxiety in a deadly but legal way, or because they did not wish that grief on anyone else. The second were those born into a family of exorcists. Those like Sasuke, whose ancestors had been doing this as naturally as breathing for the past thirty generations. With the Hyuuga blood running in her veins he'd initially assumed she fit into this classification, but past observation had shown him she fit into the final category: those who had _no_ logical motivations for becoming an exorcist. Those who didn't do it because it was 'the right thing' to do. The ones who usually ended up on the Hokage's watchlist if they weren't subtle about it.

And now the question became whether or not it was in his best interests to find out.

"Uchiha," Hinata's voice was barely above a whisper.

"_What,_"

"Why do you desire the Mangekyō?"

"Well that's a stupid question."

"I agree," she said, rising gracefully and beginning to walk away. "What use is focusing our attention on things that are meaningless to us, right?"

Normally Sasuke would have shot back a retort just as condescending as her remark, but today he decided to hold his tongue; let her have the last word for a change. There would be another time and place, and when that time came around, he was going to break through that calm facade once and for all.

_'His name was Gaara', _Sasuke thought, remembering.

The phrase would become a mantra in his head in the weeks to come. Secrets did not always live up to their namesake.


End file.
